Serious assault on Nth Island policeman

A Kawhia policeman was set upon by up to five people as he
attempted to arrest a man for an outstanding warrant.

The attackers knocked the lone policeman to the ground,
kicking him as well as taking his taser and radio and
dislodging his sidearm.

Inspector Rob Lindsay said that last night's attack was the
fifth against members of Waikato police over the holiday
period.

"Exactly what has occurred is still being worked through with
the priority for the inquiry team being the welfare and
safety of our colleague and his family while we seek to
identify his attackers.

"Initial indications are that at about 6pm the sole-charge
Kawhia officer saw a 19-year-old man who was wanted on
warrants to arrest."

"Cambridge staff at that time were at Ngahinapouri and were
dispatched to go to the officer's assistance; unfortunatel,y
even with the best driver's skills it is still some distance
to travel.

"Our staff member has spoken to the 19-year-old and gone to
arrest him however a standoff has developed."

Mr Lindsay said the man's father was called to the scene, but
instead of helping de-escalate the situation, his arrival
made matters worse.

The offender was sprayed with pepper spray which had limited
effect. When the officer presented his taser, the offender's
father grabbed it, though the officer did manage to deploy it
at the main offender.

As the officer attempted to handcuff the main offender he was
struck from behind and knocked to the ground.

"From there the officer has been kicked on the ground by a
group of what we estimate to be five people and he has
crawled into a ball and activated his Officer Safety Alarm."

With reinforcements still some distance away both the officer
and Mr Lindsay said the OSA device really came into its own,
helping prevent potentially more serious injuries.

"Aware of his isolation North Comms have called out the local
Kawhia Volunteer Fire Brigade who arrived at the wharf to see
the officer still on the ground being attacked. These
firefighters and yet to be identified members of the public
have then gone to the officer's aid,"

Mr Lindsay said that such was the ferocity of the attack that
at one stage the officer's taser was taken and thrown into
the water while his sidearm was dislodged and his radio
taken.

"Fortunately for all concerned a member of the public
recovered the officer's pistol and took it to the
firefighters who secured the weapon.

"A short time later Police reinforcements arrived from across
the District and the 19-year-old man, his 49-year-old father
and a 21-year-old male associate were arrested without
further incident."

The trio appeared in the Hamilton District Court today on
aggravated assault and assault with intent to injure charges.

The injured officer was examined at the scene by ambulance
staff and a local doctor and will undergo further medical
examinations and police interviews today.

"He has suffered serious bruising and grazing to his face,
arms and body and is currently recovering with his family.

"The officer has asked me to acknowledge on his behalf the
bravery shown by the firefighters and members of the public
whose direct action prevented what could have been a far more
serious outcome. It is these people who are the true spirit
of the Kawhia community."

Mr Lindsay said he had been in contact with the Police
National Executive who expressed their concerns in relation
to the attack and best wishes for the officer's speedy
recovery.

"Here we have a uniformed member of a small community trying
to protect that same community. With this being the fifth
attack on officers as they try and assist people in need the
message needs to be clear that such attacks on our staff will
not be tolerated."

Mr Lindsay said it was up to the wider Kawhia community to
work with Police to identify the remaining unidentified
attackers and anyone with information on their identity or,
who may have captured still video images on the attack, to
contact Police on 07 858 6200.

Alternatively, information can be left with Crimestoppers on
0800 555111.

Or ignorance, in this case. I doubt that Sir W was woolly. He
does however, sound like a Whig. Heaven forfend to align
myself with Pol Pot, even if NZ procrastined in condemning
the KR. You'll understand the Soviet thing: we were young,
idealistic. Thank you, andystat, I've learnt something.

"Historically, those who do not accept the general premise
have been characters such as Pol Pot, (a study at Yale
University estimated he was responsible for the deaths of
over 20% of the Cambodian population,) or Feliks Dzerzhinsky,
founder of the Soviet secret police."

Fair point that maybe society is less safe these days, for
whatever reason.

And in my books, good enough. Not perfect, I agree, but a
good start. We can work towards a better rate.

In the meantime, my only wishes are for all those guilty that
went free, are living nearer to you than me and you can sleep
soundly with the knowledge that it's people like you stopping
law enforcement protecting themselves and others, and the
resulting aftermath.

What woolly thinker came up with this philosophy? Society is
about the greater good, not the individual right or wrong.
The relative you mention sounds like a good cop. I just
wonder if he worked in safer times.

They armed their officers for a reason and continue to do so.
If it was deemed uneffective, would they still be doing it? I
think not.

The point that needs to be made is when a police officer
asks/tells you to do something, you do it. Pronto!

If that means arming the police to achieve this, then so be
it.

At the end of the day, the police are unable to protect the
people and themselves with just a taser. How many more of our
police need to be injured/killed while on duty before this
sinks in for some of you people? I'm sure you would be the
first to suggest the same as I, if said police officer was a
family member.

But in what way does it work well in Australia? Is
there less crime in Australia now the police are armed?
Is there less gun crime in Australia now the police are
armed. A lot has to do with attitudes towards police
and guns. Having armed police in USA doesn't seem to do
a lot to keep down gun crime. An article by Michael
Laws the other day, not someone I normally agree with,
pointed out that the detection rate of crime in this country
is low. Addressing that issue might be a more effective
route to go down.

I'm unsure if there is any evidence re armed police/lower
crime rate but I do recall an article (from the US, I think)
that stated something to the effect that there is a reduced
rate of gun crime when the bad guys know there is a high
chance of their victim being armed. I'm all for arming our
protectors in this country full time as it seems to work well
in Australia and that's proof enough for me.

Agreed, that part of the problem was that he was on his own,
but I dare say, that is why he had his firearm with him in
the first place. The rest of the problem, as hindsight has
shown, is that he chose to use the taser first. Good chance
he won't make this mistake next time.

But people will be tempted to resort to guns when a situation
could have been resolved by other means. It also
changes the nature of our police force.

Most countries have given up capital punishment, mainly
because there is no evidence that it affects crime rates.
Similarly is there any evidence to suggest that
countries with armed police have a lower violent crime rate
than those with unarmed police?

I suggest you join the police force and go out there unarmed
against all those that are illegally armed and see how you
feel then. I feel you may then change your mind. No-one
respects an unarmed law enforcement officer. No-one.

And were a great waste of taxpayers' money. Past use of them
has shown that few are afraid of them and their effectiveness
is dubious at best. I doubt this situation would have
escalated to this end result if the pistol had been used in
the first instance. Also, the pistol would not have been
taken from him if it was in his hand in the first instance.
If the police wish not to be continually walked over, it's
time for a tougher stance.